Industrial coatings firm fined $80,000 for dangerous waste violations

The Washington Department of Ecology issued the fine to Puget Sound Coatings after multiple inspections since 2008 showed no marked improvement in its compliance history. The most recent violations were found during inspections of the facilities in July and August 2015.

“These were significant violations by a firm we’d expect to see in better compliance, given its experience and knowledge,” said Darin Rice, manager of Ecology’s Hazardous Waste and Toxics Reduction program. “We recognize the corrections the company makes after individual inspections, but those changes don’t seem to last. Many similar firms follow state hazardous waste laws to protect the environment, and Puget Sound Coatings must do so as well.”

Ecology cited the Seattle facility, at 9220 8th Ave. S, for six violations; five were repeat violations from previous inspections. The facility failed to:

“Puget Sound Coatings is disappointed to receive this fine,” said Hugh LaBossier, the company’s president. “We recognize the importance of diligent adherence to the department’s rules and regulations and strive to be a leader in environmental practices in the industry. We will redouble our efforts to protect public health and our environment. We are and will work diligently to improve our processes, procedures and training where needed, and look forward to continuing to successfully working with Ecology.”

Washington’s dangerous waste law and regulations s set standards to protect the public and the environment from releases of potentially harmful waste materials at commercial and industrial facilities. Ecology inspects workplaces that generate dangerous wastes to ensure compliance with requirements for safe handling and storage.